Search form

Representing the 13th District of Pennsylvania

Connect

You are here

Congressmen Boyle and Veasey Joint Statement on the Withdrawal of Andy Puzder for Secretary of Labor

February 15, 2017

Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressmen Brendan F. Boyle (PA-13) and Marc Veasey (TX-33), co-chairs of the Blue Collar Caucus, released the following statement regarding the withdrawal of President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Labor, Andy Puzder:

“Andy Puzder was a profoundly unfit choice to run the Department of Labor. He is the living example of the fox guarding the hen house, and we applaud him for withdrawing his name from consideration.

Puzder is a man who has made millions of dollars on the backs of underpaid, overworked, and exploited workers. He has kept his employees dependent on public assistance programs meant for those in the depths of poverty by denying them fair pay and benefits.

Pudzer is a serial offender of minimum wage, overtime, wage theft, and even child labor laws. Given this track record, he absolutely could not have been trusted to expand opportunities, protect the livelihoods of all workers, or ensure that workplaces are safe, humane, and just for employees nationwide.

Less than a month after his inauguration, it’s clear that President Trump has already discarded his promise to represent the 'forgotten men and women' of our nation. Puzder would have kept them forgotten, as well as forsaken, because he would have proudly had those workers replaced by robots who don’t have rights, safety, or dignity to protect.

Our Blue Collar Caucus, a group of House Democrats committed to fighting for working class Americans in Congress and holding Mr. Trump accountable for his many campaign promises, vows to carefully oversee this Administration’s actions. The Secretary of Labor should not be fundamentally opposed to the mission of the Department he is charged to lead. Mr. Pudzer was a dangerous choice for the future of hardworking Americans, and we won’t expect better from the next nominee.”
###